LONDON, January 12, 2011 — JSP Records will release in late 2011 a box set of CDs to be called The Complete Judy Garland at Decca Records1936-1947 that will include all her known master takes, alternates and outtakes. John Stedman will produce the entirely remastered set, and Lawrence Schulman will compile it and write the sleeve notes.

You might recall that JSP Records was responsible for the hugely successful “Lost Tracks” 4 CD set. According to Worlds Records (the main U.S. distributor of the set), it was their #1 catalog item for 2010. Plus JSP is set to go into a second pressing of the set due to its popularity and of course, huge sales.

This new Decca set will be the first time that all of Judy’s Decca recordings, including all of the alternates, will be released. The 1994 “The Complete Decca Masters – Plus” was wonderful but did not include all of the alternates. Technology has advanced so much in the past 17 years that a newly restored, comprehensive set of all of Judy’s Decca recordings is long overdue.

There are over 19 alternates out there. Plus a few that have only been on LP. Having them all in one place, properly annotated, will be great! And a welcome addition to our CD collections. Plus they’ll all be remastered. 🙂

Yes, it will be complete. The title is 1936-1947, so that doesn’t include the 1935 tests, including “Bill” and “The Medley” that have survived, nor the lost “All’s Well” or “No Other One” which were done in the fall of 1935 and have never been available or found. No one’s even heard them since probably when they were recorded and rejected in 1935.

Decca began releasing Judy’s singles in 1936. That’s what this is, all the recordings from 1936-1947, including all the alternates and outtakes (that have survived) from that same period, which is her complete catalog. The tests have never been considered part of the catalog, but simply what they are – lost tests (with two found). Some of the alternates have only been available on LP, never on CD. Never has a complete and comprehensive set been done that includes everything. The 1994 boxed set came close, but did not include all of the alternates, including some that were released on previous single CDs.

Everything will also be remastered with today’s technology (remember, it’s been almost 20 years since the 1994 set) – unlike the zillions of bootleg compilation CDs out there that have varying degrees of sound quality ranging from very good to very bad.

Thanks for the list I have all of those alternates already so no need for me to spend the money. I want them to release more radio shows and all Of the MGM recordings those are the only things I need and I would like to see a CD release of At Home at The Palace

I’m so excited about this set! But I hope they really take their time and listen & compare all the tracks before releasing it. So many mistakes have been made in the past, and it would be great to finally have a CORRECT assembly of ALL the Decca recordings.

The 1994 box was very nice, but there was a big flaw in it – in addition to leaving off many alternate takes previously released on vinyl – was “If I Had You”. The song appears twice, the first time is supposed to be the released version, and the second is supposed to be an alternate take previously released on vinyl. Unfortunately both tracks are identical! Sometimes the alternate takes are very similar and it takes a very good ear, as well as the ability to play the tracks simultaneously, to hear the differences. I have some software I use to analyze and compare multiple takes at the same time. I have spent some time studying them and would love to help the producers by offering another ear to the final product, if they’d give me that honor.

Please pass on my info to those involved. I’d really like to see a DEFINITIVE and COMPLETE Decca collection finally available!

ps….do you know what source material will be used for the set? I’m assuming since it is not a Universal Music Group release, the original Decca masters will not be used. Am I correct? I know there’s always been debate on whether the masters or original 78 pressings sound best!